NATO's summit in Istanbul on June 26-29 failed to outline a vision for eastward enlargement and stopped short of acknowledging the membership aspirations of the alliance's new neighbors in the Black Sea-South Caucasus region. For the first time since the 1997 Madrid summit, NATO at... MORE

The critical phase in the political situation of the breakaway region of Abkhazia continues, following the June 9 assassination of Gary Aiba, political secretary of the influential Abkhaz political-public movement "Amtsakhara." Effects of the assassination have resonated widely throughout Abkhazia, significantly undermining the government's already... MORE

The pro-governmental "Saakashvili-Victorious Ajaria" party, the Ajarian branch of the ruling "National-Movement-Democrats," scored a landside victory in the June 20 elections in Ajaria. The elections were the first to be held following the downfall of Aslan Abashidze's authoritarian rule. The party received 75% of votes,... MORE

On June 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told military journalists that Russia would only withdraw its troops from the Batumi and Akhalkalaki bases after receipt of US$300 million in "cost-offsets." This amount is a throwback to Moscow's opening gambits in earlier stages of negotiations,... MORE

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili's steps toward improving material and technical support for the Georgian army resulted in a significant increase in the military call-up. During the current draft, which started April 26 and will finish July 31, more than 3,000 conscripts have begun service. This... MORE

Bilateral negotiations on Russia's military bases in Georgia were expected to resume this week, but did not. At the last minute, Moscow declined Tbilisi's invitation to hold a two-day round of negotiations. Earlier, the Russian side ignored Tbilisi's proposal to hold a negotiating round on... MORE

During the night of June 11-12, a massive convoy of Russian Army trucks, carrying tarpaulin-covered cargoes, reportedly entered Georgia's territory in South Ossetia via the Roki tunnel from Russian territory. It is assumed that the trucks carried military equipment and troops. The Russian military did... MORE

Trans-Dniester's leaders -- partners in "federalism" with the U.S. State Department and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) -- are offering military assistance to South Ossetia now, and to Abkhazia if the need arises. The two top leaders of Trans-Dniester made these... MORE

Prior to this week's cabinet of ministers' parliamentary vote of confidence, according the new Constitution, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili issued a surprise reshuffling of officials to lead the "force" ministries. Today he is expected to make the announcement official. At a news conference on June... MORE

At a June 2 meeting of the mixed monitoring commission in Tskhinvali, the Georgian delegation demonstrated its lack of confidence in Major-General Svyatoslav Nabzdorov, demanding that he be recalled by Russia. Nabzdorov is the Russian commander of peacekeeping forces in South Ossetia. He is being... MORE